Lori's small room was chaos.
Clothes were strewn across the bed—dresses she hadn't worn in months, blouses she had forgotten she owned, at least three different pairs of shoes that she couldn't decide between. Her suitcase lay open on the floor, half-full, its contents spilling out like her nerves.
She was going to the royal castle and she had no idea what to wear.
Tomorrow, she would watch her best friend become the Crown Princess.
The thought made her giddy—a flutter of excitement in her chest that refused to be contained.
But beneath the excitement, something heavy lingered.
Attia.
She would be leaving him behind.
The academy would continue without her. His meetings would go on. His duties would consume him. And she would be hours away, standing in ancient halls that had witness
